Steelers’ pass defense quietly dominant

By Hugo Guzman  |   Friday, December 07, 2007  |  Comments( 0 )

Pittsburgh Steelers
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Shhh! Don't say anything. If it gets around that Pittsburgh's defense hasn't missed a beat without all-world strong safety Troy Polamalu, who has a knee injury, people might start recognizing the prolific defense in the Steel City. Polamalu -- the most talented player in the Steelers' underrated secondary -- missed the last two weeks because of a knee injury, yet the 'D' didn't miss a beat, allowing a total of 13 points in wins over Miami and Cincinnati.

While interceptions haven't been the defense's forte with either Polamalu or his replacement, Tyrone Carter, in the lineup this year (Pittsburgh ranks 31st in the league with eight picks), the unit rendered Dolphins rookie John Beck about as ineffective as a passer can be (132 yards, zero touchdowns), and it made the Bengals' franchise QB, Carson Palmer, look horrible (he completed 17 of 44 passes).

Carter doesn't bring the same amount of playmaking ability as Polamalu, but the Steelers back up their standing as the league's best defense because they are able to change out one of the best in the business with a player of less ability and stay at the same level.

With Carter in for Polamalu, the Steelers played the Bengals with two deep safeties and shut down Cincinnati wideouts Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chris Henry.

As for Polamalu, he practiced Wednesday, and all early reports indicate he is going to play Sunday's big game against undefeated New England.

Patriots QB Tom Brady is otherworldly, and the future Hall of Famer has been the toughest opponent of each defense he has faced this season. However, Pittsburgh is top five in the league in sacks (33), and there is a direct correlation between Brady's rating per game and the amount of sacks he took in those contests.

Brady hasn't been sacked more than three times in a game this year, but that's happened three times this season against Steeler opponents, twice in the past two weeks. Like Palmer, though, Brady is too savvy to simply take a bunch of sacks; he'll get rid of the ball when pressured more than he'll hang onto it. The key to the game is going to come down to what style of defense the Steelers will bring if Polamalu plays.

While his presence would help take away Patriots WR Wes Welker's ability to roam freely in the slot, Polamalu also brings a lot in terms of the pass rush. Most of what he does on the field is determined by him after looking at the setup of the enemy offense, and QBs must be aware of where he is at all times. Polamalu may go after the passer, but he may drop into coverage.

The Steelers' defense hasn't faced an offense as deadly as the Patriots' this season. At the same time, though, New England hasn't seen a pass defense as quietly effective as Pittsburgh's. Because of that, this matchup truly could go either way.
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About Hugo Guzman

Trying to bring an objective approach to NFL analysis.
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